Ambassador Pham Hai Anh.

Addressing a meeting of the UN Security Council (UNSC) on the situation in Libya on November 23, the Vietnamese diplomat reiterated the importance to continue fully complying with the ceasefire and intensifying efforts to address economic and humanitarian challenges in Libya, including activities to protect civilians and improve education about the risks related to mines and explosive remnants of war in the country.

Countries bear the main responsibility for ensuring compliance with international humanitarian law, preventing and punishing serious criminal offences, he said.

He also emphasized that the prosecution of violations of international humanitarian law and serious criminal crimes should be conducted in accordance with basic principles of international law, including respect for national independence and sovereignty.

UNSC member nations called on relevant parties in Libya to make efforts to hold presidential and parliamentary elections within the set deadlines and continue to fully implement the ceasefire agreement signed on October 23, 2020.

Several countries expressed support for the International Criminal Court (ICC)’s role and activities of the court’s Prosecutor on the basis of the UNSC's Resolution 1970 (adopted in 2011), and called on Libya’s authorities and relevant countries to fully cooperate with ICC.

Ambassador Taher El-Sonni, head of the Libyan delegation, emphasized the commitment of parties involved in Libya in promoting the transition progress towards elections by the end of this year.

The political situation in Libya has seen important developments in the context that stakeholders in the country are preparing to hold elections on December 24. Under its Resolution 1970, the UNSC invited the chief prosecutor of the ICC to report every six months on alleged acts of crimes against humanity and war crimes related to Libya to the council./.

Source: VNA